By Adrian Thomas
Paradise Beverages and Coca Cola Amatil have unveiled their FJD 18 million dollar upgrade of The Suva Brewery.
The refurbished Suva brewery is a part of Coca Cola Amatil's FJD 44 million capital investment program with the entire construction of the new brewery expected to be completed by August of this year.
Suva Brewery is currently in its original condition from when it was built 58 years ago. The current brewery produces Fiji Bitter, Fiji Gold (Fiji's number one selling beer), Vonu Pure Lager and Fiji Premium, as well as a mixed drink products- the Bounty Rum and Cola, and the Tribe range.
The renovations involves replacing the current facility in parallel with the brand new brewing equipment, therefore Paradise Beverages insist the construction will not affect the current beer production. CCA's managing director Alison Watkins said: "Roughly half the total investment has been spent here at the Suva Brewery. The new brew house is fully automated and the latest state of the art technology means will optimise the quality and consistency of our beers."
The new brew house is set to have the capability of doubling the current production of beer for local consumption and with extra tanks apart of the new upgrade, setting export capabilities to be five times greater totalling 2.5 million cases per year.
The investment has been well received by the local community, with the Fijian Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama commenting: "Any investment of this scale is naturally very welcome. And I'm also pleased to learn that as many Fijian businesses and local tradespeople as possible have been employed to work on these upgrades."
Watkins added: "As a significant local employer, we place great importance on supporting the region as well as providing our customers with the highest quality beverages."
Due to the investment, Coco Cola Amatil is now Fiji's largest tax payer. Fijian Prime Minister is overwhelmed the opportunity it will offer his islands adding: "This is not only an important sector of economic activity but an important economic contributor to our ability to provide the Fijian people with the services they deserve across the board, whether it is education, health or the full range of Government services."
Paradise Beverages ranks amongst the region's largest employers, employing around 300 staff across Fiji and Samoa. Paradise Beverages stated "We currently employ 192 staff (in Fiji) and this number is not expected to change, despite the implementation of the new automated system, with employees instead redeployed from brewing into packaging."
Additional CCA facilities in the Pacific Islands include Lautoka Distillery and Distribution Warehouse (home of the prized Bounty Rum Range) and the Samoan Brewery (home of Vailima Beer, Samoa's most popular beer).